It is the root of our existence, supporting our feet, our farms, our cities. This fascinating yet disquieting book finds, however, that we are running out of dirt, and it's no laughing matter. An engaging natural and cultural history of soil that sweeps from ancient civilizations to modern times, Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations explores the compelling idea that we are—and have long been—using up Earth's soil. Once bare of protective vegetation and exposed to wind and rain, cultivated soils erode bit by bit, slowly enough to be ignored in a single lifetime but fast enough over centuries to limit the lifespan of civilizations. A rich mix of history, archaeology and geology, Dirt traces the role of soil use and abuse in the history of Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, China, European colonialism, Central America, and the American push westward. We see how soil has shaped us and we have shaped soil—as society after society has risen, prospered, and plowed through a natural endowment of fertile dirt. David R. Montgomery sees in the recent rise of organic and no-till farming the hope for a new agricultural revolution that might help us avoid the fate of previous civilizations.

    While the text is descriptive (largely conceptual) it does provide quantitative material, including worked examples in optional boxed sections.

    To understand algebra is to possess the power to grow your skills and knowledge so you can ace your courses and possibly pursue further study in math. Algebra II For Dummies is the fun and easy way to get a handle on this subject and solve even the trickiest algebra problems. This friendly guide shows you how to get up to speed on exponential functions, laws of logarithms, conic sections, matrices, and other advanced algebra concepts. In no time you'll have the tools you need to:Interpret quadratic functions Find the roots of a polynomial Reason with rational functions Expose exponential and logarithmic functions Cut up conic sections Solve linear and non linear systems of equations Equate inequalities Simplifyy complex numbers Make moves with matrices Sort out sequences and sets This straightforward guide offers plenty of multiplication tricks that only math teachers know. It also profiles special types of numbers, making it easy for you to categorize them and solve any problems without breaking a sweat. When it comes to understanding and working out algebraic equations, Algebra II For Dummies is all you need to succeed!

    With richly evocative classroom vignettes provided by practicing teachers, as well as the most case studies - three per chapter - of any Introductory text, Santrock's Educational Psychology helps students think critically about the research basis for best practices. Additionally, Santrock's hallmark Learning System organizes the content into manageable chunks to support retention and mastery, and makes it much more likely that students will have an engaging and successful course experience.

    Contemporary concepts and evidence-based practices prepare new teachers for their roles in the education and well-being of students with disabilities and other special needs. Marilyn Friend combines research-informed concepts and skills with practical information for educators working in this challenging age of high standards and accountability, curriculum access, inclusive practices, professional collaboration, and student diversity. The third edition integrates the requirements of the NCLB and IDEA legislation with evidence-based practices so that readers understand the expectations for educators and students, and learn how critical concepts translate into educational practices. Real People, Real Classrooms:"Chapter Opening Vignettes "describe the experiences of three different students of varying ages as they relate to the topics discussed in each chapter and are referenced at key points in the chapter."Firsthand Account"features real life stories from teachers, students, parents, and school professionals sharing their own experiences and perspectives relating to life and learning with special needs."""Speaking from Experience "features capture the insights and advice of experienced teachers on topics ranging from working effectively with colleagues to finding ways to juggle all the responsibilities of being a special educator to addressing a variety of professional challenges, including those related to student behavior and family concerns.Real Research:Instruction in Action highlight teaching application for intensive instruction delivered by special education teachers in various educational settings.Positive Behavioral Supports illustrates the many positive, proactive ways to address students' behavior/social issues as part of overall classroom teaching and learning.Cutting Edge InformationTechnology Notes features showcase fascinating instructional and assistive technology applications for teaching students with exceptional needs in special educational settings as well as links to information that can help beginning teachers plan their lessons, motivate their students, and keep abreast of their rapidly changing field.Professional Edge features describe conceptual materials and cutting edge information that connect theory to practice.

    Terms are introduced in the context of human anatomy and physiology to help you understand exactly what they mean, and case studies and vignettes throughout the book demonstrate how they're used in practice. With all this plus NEW animations and games on the companion CD, you'll be amazed at how easily medical terminology becomes part of your vocabulary.

    The effects of homeopathy don’t go away under rigorous scientific conditions. The laws of nature aren’t what they used to be. Thirty years on, no one has an explanation for a seemingly intelligent signal received from outer space. The US Department of Energy is re-examining cold fusion because the experimental evidence seems too solid to ignore. The placebo effect is put to work in medicine while doctors can’t agree whether it even exists.In an age when science is supposed to be king, scientists are beset by experimental results they simply can’t explain. But, if the past is anything to go by, these anomalies contain the seeds of future revolutions. While taking readers on an entertaining tour d’horizon of the strangest of scientific findings – involving everything from our lack of free will to Martian methane that offers new evidence of life on the planet – Michael Brooks argues that the things we don’t understand are the key to what we are about to discover.This mind-boggling but entirely accessible survey of the outer limits of human knowledge is based on a short article by Michael Brooks for New Scientist magazine. It became the sixth most circulated story on the internet in 2005, and provoked widespread comment and compliments (Google “13 things that do not make sense” to see).Michael Brooks has now dug deeply into those mysteries, with extraordinary results.

    This text integrates charts and tables to simplify such complicated issues as employment law, job satisfaction, work motivation and leadership. While striking a balance between research, theory and application, Aamodt introduces humor to make the student's reading more enjoyable. Students will be able to relate to industrial/organizational psychology by viewing such practical applications as how to write a resume, survive an employment interview, write a job description, create a performance appraisal instrument, and motivate employees.

    I also hope that it will serve as a useful reference too for the many workers engaged in one type of solid state research activity or another, who may be without formal training in the subject.

    This book surveys the most important computer algorithms currently in use and provides a full treatment of data structures and algorithms for sorting, searching, graph processing, and string processing -- including fifty algorithms every programmer should know. In this edition, new Java implementations are written in an accessible modular programming style, where all of the code is exposed to the reader and ready to use.The algorithms in this book represent a body of knowledge developed over the last 50 years that has become indispensable, not just for professional programmers and computer science students but for any student with interests in science, mathematics, and engineering, not to mention students who use computation in the liberal arts.The companion web site, algs4.cs.princeton.edu contains An online synopsis Full Java implementations Test data Exercises and answers Dynamic visualizations Lecture slides Programming assignments with checklists Links to related material The MOOC related to this book is accessible via the "Online Course" link at algs4.cs.princeton.edu. The course offers more than 100 video lecture segments that are integrated with the text, extensive online assessments, and the large-scale discussion forums that have proven so valuable. Offered each fall and spring, this course regularly attracts tens of thousands of registrants.Robert Sedgewick and Kevin Wayne are developing a modern approach to disseminating knowledge that fully embraces technology, enabling people all around the world to discover new ways of learning and teaching. By integrating their textbook, online content, and MOOC, all at the state of the art, they have built a unique resource that greatly expands the breadth and depth of the educational experience.

    As this is accomplished, the necessary resources and supportive events, circumstances, and relationships for your highest good will be spontaneously provided and your spiritual growth will be rapid and satisfying. Creative imagination and skillful living will enable you to live as you deserve to live.

    Traditional mathematics teaching is largely about solving exactly stated problems exactly, yet life often hands us partly defined problems needing only moderately accurate solutions. This engaging book is an antidote to the rigor mortis brought on by too much mathematical rigor, teaching us how to guess answers without needing a proof or an exact calculation.In Street-Fighting Mathematics, Sanjoy Mahajan builds, sharpens, and demonstrates tools for educated guessing and down-and-dirty, opportunistic problem solving across diverse fields of knowledge--from mathematics to management. Mahajan describes six tools: dimensional analysis, easy cases, lumping, picture proofs, successive approximation, and reasoning by analogy. Illustrating each tool with numerous examples, he carefully separates the tool--the general principle--from the particular application so that the reader can most easily grasp the tool itself to use on problems of particular interest. Street-Fighting Mathematics grew out of a short course taught by the author at MIT for students ranging from first-year undergraduates to graduate students ready for careers in physics, mathematics, management, electrical engineering, computer science, and biology. They benefited from an approach that avoided rigor and taught them how to use mathematics to solve real problems.Street-Fighting Mathematics will appear in print and online under a Creative Commons Noncommercial Share Alike license.

    Heath's translation of the thirteen books of Euclid's Elements. In keeping with Green Lion's design commitment, diagrams have been placed on every spread for convenient reference while working through the proofs; running heads on every page indicate both Euclid's book number and proposition numbers for that page; and adequate space for notes is allowed between propositions and around diagrams. The all-new index has built into it a glossary of Euclid's Greek terms.Heath's translation has stood the test of time, and, as one done by a renowned scholar of ancient mathematics, it can be relied upon not to have inadvertantly introduced modern concepts or nomenclature. We have excised the voluminous historical and scholarly commentary that swells the Dover edition to three volumes and impedes classroom use of the original text. The single volume is not only more convenient, but less expensive as well.

    But that does not even begin to convey what the Berger experience is: What makes these bestselling textbooks so distinctive is the unmistakable presence of KATHLEEN STASSEN BERGER on every page, in writing that continually draws on the author’s teaching and family life to demonstrate a remarkable understanding not just of the field, but of students’ questions, their concerns, and their lives.The distinctive, definitive BERGER touch is evident throughout her new textbook, Invitation to the Life Span. This brief, original, 15-chapter textbook was created from page 1 to address the challenges teachers and students face when covering the entire life span in a semester (or even a quarter!). The hallmark Berger qualities are all here—the relatable presentation of research, the inclusive approach to world cultures, the study help that builds critical thinking and observational skills, the outstanding media and supplements—and all held together with Berger’s skill in bringing students and the science together.

    In other cases, whatever it is you’re intending to protect may be highly confidential information that requires increased security. A hollow book just won’t do. This book isn’t hollow; in it, we will discuss various hiding places, from the simple and straight forward to the complex – a place to hide your cash from your light-fingered roommate or a place where your family heirlooms may be safe from the most cunning of jewelry thieves. We will also look at secret hiding places specific to travel, as tourists are often a prime target for petty theft or burglary. The use of secret hiding places isn’t limited to hiding items of value; hiding places can also be used to conceal weapons. Carrying a weapon on your person at all times will allow you to defend yourself should the need arise, without provoking suspicion in your assailant or making those around you feel threatened. We’ll provide a few methods by which to hide both valuables and weapons on your person. Learn how to hide your treasures, items and documents securely: 1) In Your Home 2) On The Road 3) When You're Traveling 4) From Hackers/Cyber Thieves and more...